Digital BW, The Print

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., Kevin Masten <kmasten@i...> 
wrote:
<snip>
 I 
can
> >say that in my climate there clearly start to be problems using a 
CFS
> >over carts after about 6-10 weeks because there is a manyfold 
increase
> >in  frequency of clogging problems, although they can still be 
cleared
> >with three cleanings max or at worst, drops on the parking pad 
trick.
> >And this in the most humid part of the year to just a little drier. 
I
> >used a humidifier only toward the end of the period to keep above
> >about 38%RH. And I now get increased mottling on Eclipse of 100%k. 
<snip>

> Jim,
> 
> I seem to remember you having posted that you live in Colorado. I'm 
> in Evergreen at 8500' and am running a 1280 with a No More Carts CIS 
> and MIS VM inks. Aside from a clog when I first installed the CIS, 
> I've had no problems, and the printer routinely sits for 2 week 
> periods. Do you think altitude comes into play. At what elevation 
are 
> you?
> 
> 
> Kevin
> 

Kevin,

I had considered this as a possibility, but AFAIK, it should all be 
relative- at least the pressure inside the cart equals that outside 
the cart. I live north of you about 50 miles and am jammed right into 
the start of the eastern slope foothills, so I'm effectively at 5000 
feet, at most 5200 ft.

If I dismiss my environment as the cause, that only leaves two 
possibilities: individual printhead variation from one 1280 to 
another, or my own perception of the problem as worse than it is- a 
little hard to swallow as I can track tendancy to clog with humidity 
and CFS use with hands on experience.<shrug> 

You have no problems with a CIS at 8500 feet. You also use VM inkset, 
which I have just learned from Paul has about the most volatle carrier 
of any inkset in the k ink. You use the same model printer, and pretty 
much the same workflow. The air pressure where I am is 82% of sea 
level. I think where you are is roughly 73% of sea level. (if I did 
the math right).
You let your printer sit for much longer than I do with no problems.

I don't understand this. Do you know what the humidity and temperature 
runs in the vicinity of the printer throught the year? Do you air 
condition or use an humidifier? How long in general will a set of 4 oz 
bottles last before you need to replace/refill? Do you notice deposits 
of k ink inside bottle (it might be hard to see them in tubing since 
it usually has ink in it). 

Sorry for all the questions. You are now the 2nd person that lives 
close to my vicinity (other person in Utah, my fav state to 
photograph<g>) that has no problems to speak of. If I learn as much as 
I can of your operating conditions it may help me judge if I've been 
chasing my tail with this humidity/ CFS evaporation speculation, 
giving out incorrect info or not. Martin is far away but reports he 
lives in a dry climate as well.

It would be really nice if I dared to just let my 1280 sit for say, 
two weeks or more and discovered that little cleaning was needed to 
clear it. Maybe turn the humidifier off. An expensive experiment 
however, if proved wrong.
Jim H.